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SCTA NewsletterState Council Representative Report for October / November 2002 By Shauna Aragon - State Council Representative - West Valley College and University of San Francisco Well, I have attended my first CTA State Council meeting as your official representative. State Council is the policy body of CTA. This year SCTA has four voices at the State Council. I have been assigned to the Early Childhood Education committee and was also placed in the legislation sub-committee. This first meeting was basically spent on reviewing last year's accomplishments. There was a new business item regarding how the funds for high priority schools should be allocated. Our committee requested that we be included in this process, and requested a change in the language from "K-12" to read "Pre-K to 12." We also had great discussion about: "Leave No Child Behind - The Very First Day." As you know, the government has authorized the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as "leave no child behind." However, the point to make the biggest impact on a child is to invest funds in Pre-K and Kindergarten grade levels. Our logic stems from the cost of meeting a child's need the very first day of school, opposed to allocating greater resources years down the road. For example, if a child has a hearing problem or speaks another language they will be left behind their very first day in Kindergarten. It would cost less money to reach that child the very first day with resources, than to wait until that child is in third grade. By that time they are so far behind it will take a great deal more resources to catch up. The next CTA State Council meeting is scheduled for January 31, 2003. If you have any concerns, issues, or ideas regarding SCTA's position on general CTA issues, or Early Childhood Education Committee issues, please contact me at shaunaaragon@hotmail.com because I am your voice at the state council. |